This is gonna be a classy Friday night. You don't have to groove to Duke Ellington all the time, but when you do you should turn on Jack The Bear. This chart showcases Jimmy Blanton (Jack the bear...get it?), a bassist who at 22 brought the band to a new level in the early 1940s. Even if you hate 32-bar form and blues choruses, or you think pretentious nonsense is happening right now, listen to the end of the track for the bass solo. That's what it sounds like when someone nails it. [Amazon, iTunes, Spotify]